Music Review
Show reveals performer's genuine self
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
Wayne Newton brought his Las Vegas veneer to an appreciative crowd of 1,500 last night at the Sheraton Waikiki's Hawai'i Ballroom, turning in a performance that was relaxed, convivial and gratifying.
Over about two hours, he did what Newton fans came to see, hear and applaud. He sang a few of his signatures, tossed in an Island song or two, told jokes, kibitzed about his Indian heritage, played a variety of instruments, kissed women and shook hands with men, handily demonstrating why he's earned the title Mr. Las Vegas. He was that rare show biz gem: a star who cares, is aware and shares.
The voice may have been a tad wobbly at times, the orchestral support occasionally loud, the miking sometimes cloudy.
But Newton's energy and efficacy overpowered the shortcomings, earning him a standing ovation when the party was over.
A pre-show vacation on the Big Island appeared to make him at ease, yielding a nonstop excursion characterized by a glow of contentment, from both him and his crew and the admiring audience.
Flashing a two-hand shaka sign moments after appearing on stage, Newton maintained an earnest conversational tone all night. With the stage located on the narrow mauka side of the ballroom, the generally cavernous room felt more like an intimate cabaret with an aura of a proscenium. While this configuration may have put the folks in the far stretches of the seating quite a distance from Newton, his energy and his personality reached out and filled every corner.
"I love the kisses," Newton said after delivering "Suspicious Minds," one of three Elvis Presley-related tunes he performed during this benefit for the Waikiki Community Center. He had bounced into the audience and planted a smackeroo on the cheeks of a handful of women.
It was clear that Hawai'i's love affair with Newton and his affection for the Islands remain unchallenged.
This sentiment came through in a number of songs, such as "Endless Love." He caressed the lyrics ("two hearts beat as one") as if verbalizing a love letter to his Island fans.
When he turned soulful on "If I Could Hold You Again," he could have been referring to embracing our aloha.
When he sang the hapa-haole "Blue Hawai'i," relying on a crib sheet of lyrics (well, it is Elvis' hit, not his), he reminisced about memorable nights in Hawai'i nei.
Playful and enterprising, he worked the stage, the floor, the band. He pumped out "Great Balls of Fire" on piano, plucked out "Baby Face" on banjo, fiddled to "Turkey in the Straw."
He also showcased his crew — notably backup singers Jeff, Darlene and Jacqueline in lieu of a formal opening act.
And, yes, he capped the concert with the encore, "Danke Schoen."
Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, e-mail at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax at 525-8055.
